“The services provided by Pet Dental Services have proven to be invaluable to our practice. Our clients appreciate the safety and convenience that non-anesthetic dentistry provides to their pets. Pet Dental Service’s staff is incredibly kind and patient with the pets in their care. Even some of our fearful patients are able to benefit from a full dental cleaning due to the gentle care provided by the PDS staff.”
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Dr. Melissa Byers
Lake Forest Animal Clinic
Lake Forest, CA
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“Their technique is gentle yet so very effective in the patients that qualify for this procedure. I have not encountered a case yet that I am not totally satisfied with the outcome. Having Pet Dental Services as part of your healthcare team is a win, win, win situation.”
Dr. Laurie Koorhan
Doctors Pet Clinic
Murrieta, CA
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We have been very happy with the level of service we receive from Pet Dental Services, a teeth cleaning service without anesthesia for cats and dogs. They are very professional and relaiable. They are friendly and knowledgeable regarding dental cleaning, and are very good with our clients. They take the time to explain the procedure and are always willing to over the dental report with the client.
Their technicians arrive once per week (4 times per month) to our clinic, bringing with them all their own equipment. they perform a full teeth cleaning with manual polishing and complete charting, which the client gets a copy of. They typically service between 80 and 100 patients per month at our facility.
The level of professional care can be seen by us as well as the clients, which keeps most of them booking repeat cleanings for their pets on a regular basis.
We would be more than happy to recommend Pet Dental Services to any veterinary clinic or animal care facility.
Eric Christensen
Hospital Administrator
Founders Veterinary Clinic
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“Since day one working with the Pet Dental Services crew, we have been impressed with their ease handling our numerous film animals, and the undeniable fact that our dental costs have reduced significantly.”
Birds & Animals Unlimited are the owners and trainers of numerous film animals including Moose from “Frasier”, Laiko from “Because of Winn Dixie”, Pongo & Perdy from “101 & 102 Dalmatians”, Coal from “The Shaggy Dog”, just to name a few.
Lorraine Putnam
Operations Manager
Birds & Animals Unlimited
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I have been using the non anesthetic dental cleaning treatments for approximately seven years now and they work great. They are in no way intended to take the place of deep cleaning, extractions and radiographs that are all done during anesthetic dentals. They are an excellent complement to thorough dental care. Once a deep cleaning is done with anesthesia, a follow up preventative cleaning is scheduled in 4 to 6 months to maintain the teeth in great health. Younger dogs with no major dental disease can be scheduled for non anesthetic dentals to prevent the tartar buildup and gingivitis. They are to be used as we do with people, routine dental cleanings to prevent severe dental disease. The non anesthetic dentals if started early in the life of our pets, followed up with good home care can prevent a lot of problems in the future. They are also a great alternative for the geriatric pet that has a greater risk with anesthesia. The advantage with the geriatric pet is greater if dental cleaning has already been instituted in the past when the pet was in good health.
Dr. Cristina Comartin
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“I was very happy with the cleaning that the technician did.”
Ethel Levine
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“The technician was absolutely fantastic at educating me on my pet’s dental health.”
C.L.
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“I would definitely recommend Pet Dental Service to my family and friends.”
Michelle O’Keefe
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“The PDS technician thoroughly explained my pet’s dental health needs.”
S.J.
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“The technician was thorough, kind and clearly she loves the animals with whom she works.”
Erica Simba
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“If Pet Dental Services was a hotel, I would give you 5 stars.”
Erica Melville
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“I would absolutely recommend Pet Dental Services to my friends and family.”
S.J.
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“The technician was fantastic, very educated and all around it was a great experience.”
Jenny McKell
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“The technician had great communication over the phone.”
Jeanette Orlen
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“I was educated on my pet’s dental health needs by the technician, and I would recommend Pet Dental Services to my friends and family.”
P.P.
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“I feel this service really keeps my pet’s breath fresh”
Cheryl Rice
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“The technician was excellent! She explained everything and kept me updated.”
Ann Marie Gamble
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“The technician gave very helpful tips on the techniques for brushing our dog’s teeth. I was amazed that he wagged his tail through the whole cleaning!”
Shirley McCray
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“The technician was very thorough in her communication.”
Barbara Elliot
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“The technician was very educational and I am very happy.”
H.Z.
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“I have seen what dental neglect can do, and this procedure is very beneficial.”
B.F.
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“Better health and a happy babygirl make this service so beneficial.”
J.S.
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“I love the result of the cleaning, the friendly technicians and that my dog is not frightened.”
Colleen Dickson
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“Without this service, my dog would be in serious trouble with bacterial infections.”
Sylvia Crockett
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“The technician was very gentle with my Dachshund and explained the at home cleaning process thoroughly.”
John James
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“I love that I don’t have to sedate my dog! Her appointment was right on time and the technician was very kind and honest.”
Jessica Lawson
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“I have a fussy dog who doesn’t like her mouth touched and the PDS technician was able to successfully and thoroughly clean her teeth.”
Christie Lesinski
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“The researchers were able to identify all areas of pathology, and confirmed their findings with radiography. Therefore, their research supports the conclusion that a probing and cleaning can be done without general anesthesia.”
Patrick Hardigan Ph. D.
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“I have been using Pet Dental Services for the past 3 years. Not only is the staff courteous and professional, but the extent of the work being done is superlative. Since we have started offering this lower cost non-anesthetic option, client compliance has begun to improve. It is a win/win situation, pets that are eligible for this non-anesthetic procedure are getting the dental care that is essential for their overall health and clients are benefiting from getting affordable preventative care. Also, some clients are extremely sensitive to placing their pet under anesthesia. It is a pleasure being able to satisfy the clients, but also give the pet the care they deserve.”
Brian Gerard, D.V.M.
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“The technician is always helpful, professional and on time.”
Terry Archer
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“If I hadn’t had the dental scheduled with Pet Dental Services, I don’t think the nasal growth would have been found.”
F.L.
(866) 561-6717
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Regarding the AAHA Mandate
Recently, the American Animal Hospital Association announced a controversial statement stating that it would revoke membership to any veterinarian who continues to provide safe and effective non-anesthetic dental cleanings at their hospitals. Many of the veterinarians who strongly believe in the efficacy of the non-anesthetic dental procedure have contacted AAHA regarding there stance. Some of have discontinued their affiliation with AAHA due to this mandate. Below is a template that you can use to contact AAHA and voice your opinion.
Letter to AAHA regarding non-anesthetic dentals (.doc)
Address:
12575 W. Bayaud Ave.
Lakewood, Colorado, USA 80228
Phone: 303-986-2800
Fax: 303-986-1700
Email: info@aahanet.org
POPD Study Rebuts New Dental Mandate From AAHA
In a recent update to their veterinary dentistry standards by the American Animal Hospital Association, the leading association in the US for veterinary practice accreditation, all dental procedures performed on small animals must be executed under general anesthesia with all patients intubated. This is a change from AAHA’s previous ruling that used a point system to allow accredited hospitals, or those seeking accreditation, to determine which companion animals could have a Professional Outpatient Preventive Dentistry (POPD) procedure that does not use anesthesia during the dental cleaning.
According to the official AAHA mandate document, “General anesthesia with intubation is necessary to properly assess and treat the companion animal dental patient. The use of general anesthesia allows for the necessary immobilization without discomfort, periodontal probing, intraoral radiology, and the removal of plaque and tartar above and below the gum line including polishing to ensure patient health and safety.”
This new mandate did not sit well with a number of veterinarians and veterinary practice owners.
“I totally oppose the policy,” said Kristy Lund, DVM, co-owner of Lund Animal Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida in the article “AAHA Dental Anesthesia Mandate Comes Under Fire” of the Sept. 30 edition of Veterinary Practice News. Her practice has been AAHA accredited for more than 25 years and she has offered non-anesthetic dentistry for seven years.
“I’m up for renewal in November and I’m not renewing,” she states.
Other veterinarians appear ready to follow Dr. Lund’s lead and give up accreditation, including Dr. James Davis, who owns AAHA hospitals in Marietta, Georgia and Jupiter, Florida.
In the same article, Davis states, “We’ve seen the benefits these procedures have for patients,” he said. “Because of the lower cost involved, they are able to get their teeth cleaned a lot more often.”
“Bottom line, we clearly have better dental health in our patient base with the non-anesthetic service.”
Anesthesia carries inherent risks, Davis said, using the example of a 7-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a breed known for elevated odds of heart and dental disease.
“Heart disease can be so severe that there’s no way you’re going to do anesthesia on that dog,” Davis said. “AAHA is telling us that we can do nothing to that dog to clean its teeth, that it’s unethical and that it’s below the standard of care. And that’s unacceptable for us.”
A recent peer-reviewed study, published in the fall issue of the Integrative Veterinary Care Journal, takes a statistical and scientific approach to POPD, an anesthesia-free teeth cleaning performed by trained dental technicians who are qualified and examined by the American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians. These dental technicians work under a veterinarian’s direct supervision in the vet’s clinic. This differentiates the service from lay practitioners who “clean” companion animal’s teeth in pet stores, grooming shops, and other non-medical facilities.
The study, involving 12 dogs and 12 cats, was designed to evaluate POPD, and whether it can be done safely and effectively. The animals were divided by age groups and history of anesthetic dental procedures and treated with POPD by a trained dental technician. A board-certified veterinary dentist later examined the animals under general anesthesia looking for any calculus remaining below the gumline using compressed air dental equipment, full-mouth dental x-rays, and a complete oral exam. Both the technician and the doctor were also asked to look for other indications of periodontal disease including missing teeth, hyperplasia, resorption, tooth fractures, bone loss, probing depths, and gum recession.
Results of the study showed that both the trained dental technician and the veterinary dentist identified all seven oral conditions. Additionally, none of the dogs or cats had any remaining plaque or calculus on their teeth. A full POPD was completed on 100% of the patients with no post-procedure complications.
According to the researchers, “In summary, the POPD was able to perform a complete prophylaxis, scaling supra- and sub-gingivally thoroughly and safely on all subjects. Although a POPD is NOT intended to be a substitute for anesthetic dentistry, it may prove to be a valuable supplemental treatment.
Pet Dental Services (PDS) helped fund the research, which was conducted by Dr. Mayra Urbieta, the Director of Research for Pet Dental Services Inc., and peer reviewed by W. Jean Dodds, DVM, founder of HemoPet, a blood bank and diagnostic laboratory, and a board member with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. With over 15,000 POPD procedures a year at veterinary clinics in 11 states, PDS is one of the few companies in the US performing anesthesia-free dentistry.
More Resources
http://www.aahanet.org/blog/post/981150/Just-the-facts-AAHAs-new-dental-standard.aspx
